1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper sheet handling apparatus for handling an externally inserted paper sheet, an automatic transaction apparatus provided with the paper sheet handling apparatus, and a paper sheet conveying apparatus loaded into the paper sheet handling apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, automated equipment (automatic transaction apparatus) such as an automatic cash dispenser (CD), an automatic teller machine (ATM), etc. is mounted not only in financial facilities but also a convenience store, etc. A paper sheet handling apparatus is loaded into such automated equipment to handle a bill as a paper sheet. In this case, an operation is performed at an instruction of the body of automated equipment.
Inputting a bill on a sheet by sheet basis is the more troublesome with an increasing number of bills to be input. Therefore, automated equipment allows bills to be deposited as a bundle of bills. Since only one bill can be input, the bundle of paper sheets can be one or more bills bundled.
It is necessary to authenticate a bill input by a client to automated equipment which allows bills to be deposited. Furthermore, it is necessary to perform a refund. Thus, the conventional paper sheet handling apparatus loaded into automated equipment which allows bills to be deposited advances bills input as a bundle of paper sheets on a sheet by sheet basis, conveys, and authenticates them. A bill discriminated as a normal bill in an authenticating process is temporarily stored in a temporarily holding section (patent document 1). A bill stored in the temporarily holding section is stored in a storage section when a client accepts a transaction, and refunded to the client when the client requests the refund.
A bill discriminated as a normal bill is piled and stored in the temporarily holding section. The conveying operation of bills from the temporarily holding section is performed by advancing bills on a sheet by sheet basis. Thus, the conventional paper sheet handling apparatus described in the patent document 1 conveys bills on a sheet by sheet basis in most cases.
The longer the distance of conveying bills, the higher the probability that a fault such as jamming, etc. occurs. Thus, the reliability becomes lower. When bills are conveyed on a sheet by sheet basis, the total distance of conveying bills becomes longer with an increasing number of bills, thereby lowering the reliability. Therefore, to enhance the reliability, it is considered that it is important to shorten the total distance of conveying all bills.
The conveying operation of a bundle of bills has conventionally been performed by providing convey belts above and below the bundle of bills with the feed belts pinching the bundle of bills (patent document 1).
Tension is applied to the feed belts to allow the conveying force to work on the bundle of bills. However, when the tension is applied, the feed belts are transformed to a relatively large extent by the force applied from the cross direction to the direction of the tension. Thus, the pressure applied to the bundle of bills is largely restricted. Therefore, it is hard to maintain the status of the bundle of bills, and the possibility that the bills appropriately piled are projected in the conveying direction. Thus, to further improve the reliability of the paper sheet handling apparatus (including an automatic transaction apparatus carrying the paper sheet handling apparatus) for conveying the bundle of bills (bundle of paper sheets), it is considered that it is important to correctly and appropriately convey the bundle of bills.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-14511
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-67511